UPDATE: At 12:15pm there's still no sign of Dann. Meanwhile, the Dispatch reports on a truly ridiculous rumor:

some of those close to Dann speculated this morning that he would not be stepping down, and instead may launch a legal battle to halt an independent investigation of his office by Inspector General Thomas P. Charles. Dann had not made any announcements to his top advisers as of 10:30.

Some Dann advisers have raised the possibility of Dann raising a constitutional separate of powers challenge, since the inspector general normally does not have the authority to investigate the attorney general's office.

Such a challenge would be absurd, bordering on frivolous. It would also prove that these scandals are preventing the AG's office from doing its job, and validate widespread speculation (reinforced by the daily trickle of new disclosures) that Dann's misdeeds run far deeper than what's been disclosed to date. It's ever-more embarrassing to acknowledge that this clown is a Case Western alum.

BREAKING UPDATE - 12:30pm: Dann's press statement has been canceled and the AG's office is on "lockdown" to prevent the destruction or removal of documents. From the Dispatch:

A press conference by Attorney General Marc Dann will not be held and the 17th floor of the Rhodes Tower where his office is located is apparently on lock-down to protect sensitive documents that may be subject to investigation.

The State Highway Patrol is in the attorney general's offices, checking employee badges and monitoring to see if documents are being removed from the floor, sources told The Dispatch. Troopers were even searching the purses of employees leaving the offices.

Whether the patrol was working at with Inspector General Thomas P. Charles, who promised to launch an investigation today, could not immediately be confirmed.

UPDATE - 1:20pm: A television news report on the Ohio News Network added some new details to the deal Dann sought yesterday. Specifically, the report claims Dann demanded another job and immunity from criminal prosecution in return for his resignation. To their credit, neither Democratic or Republican officeholders would contemplate such a deal.

I work in the Rhodes Tower several floors above where the AG's office is located. I have not been down there but some co-workers have. There are lots of people with badges down there checking everyone going in or out.

There are AAGs on my floor. They were all gathered in front ov a tv to watch Dann's announcement.

I am posting this from my cell phone; our office net nanny blocks the VC. I will try to get more info and post a comment later.

I agree that a separation-of-powers challenge to the Inspector General's new jurisdiction would "border on the frivolous." There is, however, a more substantial objection, i.e., that the act creating the new authority violates the Ohio constitution's single-subject requirement. (Ohio const. sec. 2.15(D): "No bill shall contain more than one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in its title.") In an effort to act quickly, the Assembly appended the extension of the I-G's power to an already pending bill dealing with penalties for persons convicted of various crimes while holding positions of "honor, trust, or profit." (The text of the enacted provision is available at: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=127_SB_3.) The Ohio Supreme Court's single-subject caselaw isn't exactly a model of clarity, but I don't think it would be absurd to suggest that there isn't a constitutionally sufficient nexus between the original subject of the bill and the added provisions regarding the I-G's power. Nor would I think it absurd to argue to the contrary. My point is that, at least superficially, it doesn't look to me like a slam-dunk on either side.

No further info. Those AAGs must be camels. None have gone to the men's room.

On an unrelated topic, the AG's office on my floor has an unusually high percentage of superhot women working in it. Hmmmmm... After learning about Dann's senior staff and their view that female subordinates are fair game, maybe I should not be surprised.

Here is a rumor I heard as I was leaving for the day. One of my co-workers heard someone say that they saw Dann being escorted from the Rhodes State Office Tower by the Highway Patrol shortly before noon.

This is just a rumor. I could see them escorting him from his office so that they could seize his computer and files, but from the building? I don't know about this. Seems like an exaggeration.

It has been my pleasure providing onsite reporting (and, when lacking for material, just making stuff up). If there are any further scandals in Ohio government, I hope I can provide this valuable service again.

Let me just say that I am happy to be typing on my computer again. Do you have ANY idea how hard it is to blog using an eNV cell phone from Verizon Wireless?

On an unrelated topic, the AG's office on my floor has an unusually high percentage of superhot women working in it. Hmmmmm... After learning about Dann's senior staff and their view that female subordinates are fair game, maybe I should not be surprised.

My namesake would be looking at the boys as well as the girls. And he would be pursuing a blood vendetta against you. You know what Sulla once said, "No friend ever served me, and no enemy ever wronged me, whom I have not repaid in full."